So, you’re moving into residence and wondering what you should bring. Well, this is your lucky day as I, someone who has lived in residence for two years, am going to tell you what NOT to bother bringing to campus. First tip to keep in mind when packing is that you need to limit how much you should bring of everything because you are working with a small space and limited storage. Here are the most important things not to bring: Too Many Clothes I know, it seems silly! You can never have too many clothes, but it just means that students need to be conscientious of what they bring. If you’re like me, you’ll probably end up shopping at the Rideau Centre more than once and leave with more clothes than you planned, trying to make it fit in the small closet. Clothes you shouldn’t bother bringing from home are ones for special occasions like fancy dresses (how often do resident students go to fancy events?) or clothes that don’t match. These will just take space in your closet that ...

Part three in a three-part series brought to you by us, sharing note-worthy tips and tricks on shopping smart, reducing your textile waste footprint PLUS, how to find sustainable brands! Finding brands that are legitimately sustainable is easier than you think. Often, companies claim to have changed their business models to more sustainable, eco-friendly habits but don’t be fooled: You have to do your research! See if a particular brand follows the criteria given. WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN SEARCHING FOR SUSTAINABLE BRANDS So this is it, we’ve convinced you enough to join the green side.You’re not alone, Sustainable Fashion Matterz says that in 2017, the amount of Google searches for “Sustainable Fashion” had risen by over 250% from January 2017 to December 2018. But wait, how do you know if a company is truly sustainable? Follow these guidelines when evaluating the best brand for you. LEGITIMACY  Although this is rare for clothing companies, companies that do have char...

A three-part series brought to you by us, sharing note-worthy tips and tricks on shopping smart, reducing your textile waste footprint PLUS, how to find sustainable brands! Unfortunately, the fashion industry was not built by green thumbs.  Planetaid.org reports that “clothes can take up to 40 years to decompose.” We are taught to buy anything and everything we might need, which results in over-consumption. So let’s prevent things from piling up! If clutter, wasted money, and outdated clothing describes your current situation, then stay tuned! DO YOUR RESEARCH Research the companies you’re going to shop from. Know what their values are as a corporation in order to support ethical practices . Most major clothing brands are starting to develop collections that have “sustainable”characteristics - but don’t be fooled, major clothing brands like these are still considered “fast fashion” companies, most likely still partake in unethical behaviours such as sweatshops and unfai...

Now I don't want to blow things out of proportion but we may have accidentally started a world wide phenomenon known as the Free Store . Yes you all know that Free Store, and you might even know how the Free Store got started (if not, here is a blog post from a little while back). But there have been some new developments that are really kind of getting us excited over at the Office of Campus Sustainability. First, I eluded to a world wide thing. So the story goes like this; a few people come to uOttawa and love the Free Store, they leave Ottawa but can't shake the awesomeness of the store and so they start their own Free Stores somewhere else. That's basically what happened in Quebec, France, and Hong Kong, where up to a dozen Free Stores are now taking root. Some of these Free Stores we knew about. The Free Store in Grenoble was created by an international student who wanted to bring the Free Store to France. The Free Store at the CÉGEP of Beauce-Appalaches was ...